Parasite HTTP RAT

Posted: August 20, 2018

Threat Metric

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The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Threat Level:	8/10
Infected PCs:	639

First Seen:	November 6, 2012
Last Seen:	February 27, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The Parasite HTTP RAT is a Remote Access Trojan that gives an attacker additional control over infected computers, including optional modules for collecting private information and configurable download and running features for other threats. This Trojan is notable for the in-depth nature of its defenses and code-obfuscation especially. Users should update their security software to the latest available patches for improving any chance of deleting the Parasite HTTP RAT before it harms their PCs.

A Well-Camouflaged Trojan for Hire

A new RAT that threat actors are renting on the underground Web is starting to factor into attacks against businesses such as healthcare entities, IT companies and various retailers. The Parasite HTTP RAT uses flexible, but generally-traditional attacks against the Windows PCs that it compromises, but also is meaningful for its particularly hardened code against threat analysis technology. While the Parasite HTTP RAT's current rate for distribution is low, malware experts expect a rise of numbers in the upcoming months.

The Parasite HTTP RAT infections are, for now, resulting from spam e-mails and their associated file attachments. Since the Parasite HTTP RAT is programmed in C and has no significant dependencies besides at least a Win XP operating system, most Windows users are at risk. From their administrative panels, threat actors can, then, send the Parasite HTTP RAT commands that disable security, collect information or drop other threats. The Parasite HTTP RAT may update or uninstall itself, download and launch files from HTTP or HTTPS URLs that the admin specifies, manage tasks and support various modules. Of the latter, malware experts are pointing out the focus on information-collecting modular components, such as password stealers for the victim's browser, e-mail and instant messaging accounts.

The above isn't unusual for backdoor Trojans like the Parasite HTTP RAT. However, the Parasite HTTP RAT also is well-equipped with other features for disguising infections from AV tool particularly. It instigates a delayed crash in sandbox environments (instead of self-terminating, which is more traditional), employs limited checking for debugger breakpoints, may inject into system processes, bypasses any firewall filters, and uses significant string encryption. As a whole, the Parasite HTTP RAT's defenses show that the Trojan is coded with professional standards and may evade less sophisticated security solutions successfully.

The New Hire that You Shouldn't Consider

Current Parasite HTTP RAT campaigns are using fake documents attached to e-mails that mimic invoices and job inquiries. These attacks are, nearly universally, exploiting Word's DOC format for running vulnerabilities that install the backdoor Trojan after the victim enables the macros. Since, by default, macros are left inactive on modern versions of Word, most users should be immune without making misjudgments besides just opening the document in question.

The above technique is a typical one for introducing threats to various business entities and potentially valuable networks, but the Parasite HTTP RAT also is being sold to other criminals who may prefer different infection choices. While its payload includes support for other threats and, therefore, other security issues with a minimum of discrimination, malware experts, especially, recommend assuming the possible, total theft of login credentials for the PC's website, e-mail, IM and FTP accounts. Updated anti-malware products have the best chances of deleting the Parasite HTTP RAT while minimizing any loss of sensitive information or files.

The lengths to which the Parasite HTTP RAT goes for obfuscating its intentions are impressive and give every employee who browses the Web at work another, potential security hazard with enormous implications for even a single workstation. It's best to stop threats like the Parasite HTTP RAT at the starting line than to give them the time that they need for implementing all their defensive and offensive features.

Aliases

W32/Bckdr.AJ [Fortinet]not-a-virus:Server-Web.Win32.SmallHTTP [Ikarus]HackTool:Win32/Httprat [Microsoft]Server-Web/Win32.SmallHTTP [Antiy-AVL]Mal/Bckdr-AJ [Sophos]Heuristic.LooksLike.Win32.Suspicious.C [McAfee-GW-Edition]SPR/SmallHTTP.F [AntiVir]UnclassifiedMalware [Comodo]not-a-virus:Server-Web.Win32.SmallHTTP.30565 [Kaspersky]Win32.Server.Web.Sma [eSafe]Win32:PUP-gen [PUP] [Avast]Trojan.Gen.2 [Symantec]RemoteTool [K7AntiVirus]Generic PUP.x!bdc [McAfee]HackTool.Httprat (Not a Virus) [CAT-QuickHeal]
More aliases (22)

Technical Details

File System Modifications

Tutorials: If you wish to learn how to remove malware components manually, you can read the tutorials on how to find malware, kill unwanted processes, remove malicious DLLs and delete other harmful files. Always be sure to back up your PC before making any changes.

The following files were created in the system:

C:\Users\<username>\Downloads\AIO-Toolkit\ToolKitFiles\tools\shttps\http.exe

File name: http.exe
Size: 119.8 KB (119808 bytes)
MD5: b93df180f915346b01d03ccc2bc2701f
Detection count: 340
File type: Executable File
Mime Type: unknown/exe
Path: C:\Users\<username>\Downloads\AIO-Toolkit\ToolKitFiles\tools\shttps\http.exe
Group: Malware file
Last Updated: September 30, 2023